FAQ

YES! We always look forward to serving new families.

A full eye examination usually takes at least 60-75 minutes. Please allow at least one and a half hours for your visit. You may need to allot additional time if you plan to choose new eyeglass frames.

There are two hour metered parking spaces in front of our office as well as a metered city lot a few doors down the block with two and five hour time limits. Bear in mind that the parking stations only accept coins, or you may use a credit card. (There is no minimum for using your credit card.)

There are several items that you should bring to help ensure that your appointment goes smoothly. First, bring your most recent pair of eyeglasses, as well as any other prescription eyeglasses that you currently wear, including those for work, computer use, reading, and sun protection. Bring any non-prescription sunglasses that you use as well. For contact lens wearers that are new to our office, please bring your latest contact lens prescription or the current boxes or packaging for your contact lenses. All contact lens wearers should wear their contact lenses in to their appointment whenever possible. Please be prepared to provide information about the solutions and eyedrops that you use with your lenses.

Make a note of any medications that you take as well as any eyedrops that you use (even if you use them infrequently). And finally, bring along your medical insurance card and your primary care physician's name and contact information.

We ask that you make every effort to keep your appointment once it has been made. However, if you should need to change your appointment time, it is helpful to let our office know as far in advance as possible so that it may be given to someone else.

We require at least 24 hours notice for any cancellations (or before the end of the work day on Friday for Monday appointments) in order to avoid a non-cancellation fee of $50.

Often during the eye examinations performed in our office we detect medical conditions that require additional attention from other medical professionals. Knowing what your medical insurance is helps to guide us in making a referral to the appropriate specialist. Also, we often provide eye care services to our patients which fall under medical insurance rather than vision insurance. Examples are evaluation and treatment for conditions such as "pink eye", styes, or dry eyes. In such cases, we may submit a claim to your medical insurance for payment.

It is impossible to discuss what your vision plan covers without looking at your specific program. There are dozens of different insurance plans, each with their own unique features, coverages, and limitations. For this reason, it is ultimately the responsibility of each individual patient to be familiar with and understand his or her benefits. Do not assume that your insurance covers "everything." If you have any questions at all regarding your insurance benefits, ask our staff prior to receiving services our staff is always happy to assist you in any way that they can to determine exactly what your coverages are and how to maximize your benefits.

The cost of your examination may vary depending on what is found during the course of your visit and what services are necessary to address your complaints and your eye care needs. Currently, the fee for a typical well-vision examination for eyeglass wearers is $210, after our cash discount. The examination includes a full retinal scan on our technologically advanced Optomap equipment. Contact lens wearers require additional evaluation and services and are subject to additional service fees.

Payment is required at the time that services are provided.

We accept cash, as well as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and debit cards for payment in our office. We also accept Care Credit for payment.

Yes, you can use your flex spending dollars toward the cost of your eye examination, office visits, insurance co-payments and overages, and any eyewear that you receive, including prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses and related supplies, eyeglass accessories, and even non-prescription sunglasses. Just about anything purchased in our office may qualify for flex dollars reimbursement.

Optometrists are your primary eye care providers, just as your primary care physician provides general health care for you and your family. Optometrists are extensively trained in evaluating and treating vision problems, as well as prescribing and fitting eyeglasses and contact lenses. Optometrists are also trained in the detection and management of a variety of eye disorders such as dry eyes, eye infections, eye trauma, lazy eye (amblyopia), diabetic eye disease, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in treating eye diseases and performing eye surgery. Many ophthalmologists are specially trained to treat specific conditions such as glaucoma or cataracts, or to perform refractive surgery such as Lasik, while others treat specific areas of the eye such as the cornea or retina. As with referrals to other medical specialists, patients typically see the ophthalmologist upon the recommendation of their optometrist or primary care physician when a specific disease or problem is detected.

An eye examination for contact lens wearers includes a careful evaluation of your contact lens fit and vision. It is very important that the contact lenses be checked regularly to insure a lens fit that is optimal, safe, and healthy. There is no guarantee that any contact lens fit will remain safe indefinitely. In certain instances, the doctor may catch a potentially serious problem with your lenses, even though they feel completely comfortable to you. There are a number of procedures that are performed during an eye examination for contact lens wearers that are not a part of a general comprehensive eye examination. For this reason, there is an additional fee for the contact lens wearer's examination. For those of you with eye care insurance, please be aware that this additional evaluation fee may not be covered by the examination fee paid by your eye care insurance. If you have contact lens coverage through your insurance, you may elect to use it to pay this additional fee. Bear in mind, however, that many insurance programs will only contribute toward eyeglasses OR contact lens services and lenses, not BOTH.

A contact lens fitting is a series of visits for patients who are new to contact lenses, or for those who are changing the type of lenses that they will be wearing. During a contact lens fitting, your doctor will discuss your lens options and choose the most suitable lenses for your eyes and your needs. If you are new to wearing contact lenses, you will also be shown how to properly insert, remove, and care for them. After spending some time wearing your new lenses over the first one to two weeks, your doctor will re-evaluate your fit to ensure that the lenses are working properly and are a healthy option for you. Several sets of lenses and several fitting visits may be necessary to arrive at the most optimal and acceptable contact lens fit.

The frame service fee is a one-time fee that is applied to any patient-provided frame that was not purchased in our office when fabricating lenses for that frame. It may apply to a new frame, or a frame that has been used previously. This fee is already included in the cost of any frame that is purchased in our office. Services provided for this fee include inspection of the frame prior to sending it to the lab for lens fabrication, noting and recording the condition of the frame, transporting the frame to and from the lab, tightening all screws and frame parts, inspection of the frame when it returns from the lab, realigning the frame after lens fabrication, ultrasonic cleaning, refitting the frame to the patient, future refitting, adjustments and minor repairs to the frame.

Yes, we will fill all outside prescriptions provided that they have not yet expired.

Yes, as long as the frame is in good serviceable condition to allow for safe fabrication of your lenses without damage to your frame. Use of your own frame is always at your own risk. Our opticians will help to assess your existing frame and advise you about the suitability of reusing it.

The examination begins with some preliminary testing to assess your vision and eye health. A thorough history is gathered relating to your vision and eye complaints, medical conditions and medications, family history of medical and eye diseases. Your doctor will assess your vision, measure any refractive error that exists, and prescribe an updated eyeglass and/or contact lens prescription for you. The doctor will also assess your eye coordination and movements, your eye muscles' balance and function, and the health of both the internal and external eye. Our doctors' job is to provide you with the clearest and most comfortable vision possible as well as to preserve and protect your eye health.

A dilated eye exam is important for all patients, especially during your first visit, if you have certain health conditions, or if you have a history of various eye conditions or diseases. Under certain circumstances, the doctor may decide to forego a dilated eye examination if we obtain a retinal scan that is completely normal.

A retinal photo is a digital photograph taken of your retina, which is the light-sensing tissue that lines the inside of your eye. A healthy retina is absolutely essential for maintaining normal vision. Your photos enable the doctor to detect even subtle changes in your retina each time you have an examination in our office. Detecting small changes in the retina's appearance over time is extremely important in the detection of common and devastating eye conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Also, the magnification and resolution capabilities of the digital images allow us to observe the structures of the retina in greater detail than ever before.

The frequency of your eye examinations is based on the recommendation of your optometrist. For most individuals, eyes should be examined once a year, regardless of whether or not you have any vision complaints with your eyeglasses and/or contacts. In some cases, eye examinations may be recommended less frequently, but there may also be instances where the doctor may indicate the need to examine you at more frequent intervals.

In our office we examine children as young as 3 years of age. It is highly recommended that every child receive a comprehensive eye examination before they enter kindergarten to insure that there are no vision conditions that may hamper a child's performance in school. The frequency of recommended examinations for children varies depending on their family eye history, medical history, and the presence of any existing eye conditions.

In our office we have personnel who speak Mandarin and Spanish. If English is not your preferred language, please notify the front desk administrator when scheduling your appointment.

Here are our office policies (updated on May 11th, 2023).